1. Field of Invention
This disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for associating location data from location aware devices to road segment data in geographic information systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Location aware devices are portable, electronic devices that can provide information about their current location. Location aware devices such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices communicate with satellites to determine the precise location of the location aware device. Location aware devices are commonly used in navigation and route guidance systems and have been included in a variety of consumer products ranging from vehicles to mobile devices. Location aware devices can provide useful information about the location and routes of users, as well as data about the position and direction of the location aware device on a given road.
Providers of maps and navigational services use the information received from the location aware device to generate directions and locale information to users. However, due to certain limitations in geographic data, the position of a location aware device can be mapped to a location that is up to 150 meters away from the actual position of the location aware device. In order to use the mapped location of the geographic data, it is important to accurately associate or “snap” the geographic position of a location aware device to the correct road segment. Conventional techniques have used methods to associate the geographic data to the road segment that is located closest in distance to the mapped position of the location aware device. However, association of geographic data to the closest road segment can produce inaccurate results. For example, the nearest road to the reported position of the location aware device may not be the actual road on which the location aware device traveled. Errors in associating geographic data to a road network can lead to inaccuracies in providing mapping and location-based services to users.
Conventional methods and systems are also limited in capacity and can only associate one track of a location aware device at a time to a road segment, which can be time-consuming and inefficient.